Golden Buttons

It is clear that plants are generally much wiser than I am. Tansy proves this point. Somehow, early on in the life of my current landscape, tansy or Tanacetum vulgare, made its first appearance by the hedge in the front garden.  I overlooked the plant when it sprouted, but by mid-summer of the first year, … Read more

Giant Mullein

A friend of mine gardens in a community plot and noticed a very large, yellow-flowered plant sprouting on his allotment.  He asked if I could identify it from a description, which turned out to be an easy task.  At this time of the year, a plant that is three to six feet tall, with yellow … Read more

Sneezewort

Yarrow—Achillea–a plant cultivated in gardens for a very long time, has garnered a host of nicknames, some of which are worthy of Harry Potter.  Among the more colorful monikers are soldier’s woundwort, herbe militaris, bloodwort, nose bleed, devil’s nettle, old-man’s-pepper and—my favorite–stenchgrass.  Combine those bloody nicknames with the fact that Linnaeus, in the midst of … Read more

Book Review: The New American Herbal by Stephen Orr

An herb is defined as any useful plant.  I grow lots of them, though some are decidedly more useful than others.  I wage constant battles with rambunctious, self-sowing nuisances like perilla mint and lemon balm, which are on a perpetual campaign for garden, if not world domination.  I gladly grow other, better-mannered herbs, including lavender, … Read more

Flashy Cat

I have been swept off my feet by a flashy cat, appropriately named ‘Blue Dreams.’ The cat in question is botanical rather than feline, but it has many feline qualities. Like pedigreed, four-footed cats, ‘Blue Dreams’ has a fancy proper name—Nepeta subsessilis ‘Blue Dreams.’ Its stems arch gracefully, reminiscent of a cat’s back and, like … Read more